CRAZY ABOUT YOU is my
most downloaded and popular work. It's received 23 Amazon reviews and 18 of
them are five-star guys. I thought I'd try to categorize them in areas
important to potential future readers:
VERSIMILITUDE
I found this story so captivating that I couldn't stop
reading once I started. I happen to work at the state hospital depicted in this
story and it is incredible fact or fiction; the detail that was written I could
see everything he wrote so I was able to follow it with such ease and enjoyed
it very much. A very believable story that seemed so familiar. I have
recommended this to everyone that I know. I only found one issue with the story
and that was, that it wasn't longer......Thanks, Randy, for such an absolutely
amazing read!!!
***
Having spent my formative years in Larned, Kansas, and also
having worked briefly at the state mental hospital there, I can tell you that
his descriptions of life at the state hospital are totally spot-on! The story
line is also good--but I won't spoil it for anyone. Funny, sad, poignant. And
suspenseful!
STYLE
What I loved best about this book was, truly, the writer’s
style. He has a laid-back, very easy-to-read way with words that bring his
characters alive quickly. Sometimes he’s dead serious as when he documents the
history of mental institutions; other times, he’s tongue-in-cheek, outright
funny and his main character, Brad, is so likable and real that this book
could be subtitled “Another Brad Adams Escapade.” It reminds me of the Hardy
Boys books I read as a teen, but with an approach far more suited to today’s
young readers.
***
I cannot think of an author that I can compare Randy with.
He is just unique. Randy has the skill to shake your nerve and give a direction
to forethought process like no other. OK . I guess there are going to be more
books by him on my shelf.
PLOT SUMMARY
CRAZY ABOUT YOU,
set in 1964, is a coming age story that mixes fact with fiction to reveal one
brilliant book. Brad, a teenage asylum brat, lives and works on the grounds of
Larned State Hospital. His father, the asylum's dentist, is the reason why
Brad's family is given housing on the grounds of the hospital growing up
alongside the other children of asylum workers. These children are referred to
as the asylum brats.
While living on the grounds and working in the hospital
cafeteria, Brad befriends a female patient, Suzanne, who he believes he is in
love with. As a typical teenage boy with hormones though, he begins to date a
fellow student, while still confessing his love for Suzanne and promising to
help her battle her demons and save her from her father's molestation.
While dealing with his raging hormones, Brad also has to
contend with his sanity, brutal staff workers, and death. In the span of a week
Brad has to do a lot of growing up and the events that happen that week forever
remain with him and impact his life.
***
The story involves brutal staff, many of whom are more
twisted than those they are supposed to care for, a sad young woman who was
victimized by her father and than by the system, unfortunate souls who need
professional help that is seldom available to them, the local juvenile
delinquent, and a couple of teenage girls whose hormones are as out of control
as only teenage hormones can be. The author brings them and others together to
weave a story that will keep you turning the pages and that you won't soon
forget.
***
CRAZY ABOUT YOU
defies categorization, but suffice it to say that those looking for pure
excitement and good story telling will not be disappointed. Nor will those who
thrive on the deeper layers of psychological tension. Although the novel often
deals with forces out of the protagonist's control, it also tackles tough moral
choices that indelibly shape our lives, all within the context of a fantastical
drama that will leave the reader musing for days. But ultimately, this is a
story about absolution. If you have not laughed out loud often and shed a few
tears by the end, you'd better see a shrink.
READER CAPTURE QUOTIENT
I sat up till 3:30 a.m. reading CRAZY ABOUT YOU. Couldn't put it down. Have a few more pages to
complete but I must tell you, I am now a fan of Randy Attwood's writing. Can't
wait to begin a second book and read through his entire works. Easy read,
humorous, good story line and left me wanting more.
***
I'm so glad this book was recommended to me. I have been
reading indie books for years with so much disappointment, but this but was
amazing. The pace was great, the plot was awesome, and the characters were so
very believable. I loved that Atwood really dug into the mind of Brad, and let
me know everything he was thinking. It was everything I imagined the mind of a
teenage boy to be at times, and some thoughts so profound it made me feel like
he was in my head.
DEEP IMPACT
CRAZY ABOUT YOU is
the second book by Randy Attwood I have read, and my admiration for his writing
skills grows with each page as I read. This story takes the reader for a trip
into the strange space between the sane and insane--a mist-blurred world full
of angst, mystery, surprises, plus bizarre and unpredictable behavior . . .
with an array of characters that are so well developed your heart reaches out
to them. Well, most of them...but there is much more. An evil presence drives
the story into even darker places that you expect, at a pace that turns the
pages as fast as you can read. This is an engaging and compelling coming-of-age
tale that will haunt the reader for days and leave you wishing for more. Yet,
it is also satisfying and fully resolved in a way that touches your heart.
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